Starting Over

Well, there was much beating of brow and gnashing of teeth around here last night, followed by deep philosophical sighs.  After a day and a half of steady knitting, I got this far:

You will notice that it is off the needles.  I realized that it is now going to be way too short!!  What has happened is that my rows are coming out narrower than the suggested gauge.  So in fact, I didn't need to reduce the number of rows at all.  Fortunately I bought extra balls of this yarn.  I am just going to start over, because some of the yarn near the hem has already been re-knitted twice.

You know, I do usually make a swatch before I start a project, but that is because I have either substituted the yarn or made my own design.  In this case, because I am using the yarn called for by the pattern, I guess I didn't think I'd need it.

Third time lucky!

Debbie Bliss Eco Aran

Recently, it seems like all my Australian blogging friends have been knitting, which is natural for them because it's winter there, but it's put me in the mood for knitting too.  Since I became so allergic to wool, all my wool knitting projects are semi-permanently on hold.  But I do have some cotton lying around.  Webs had a sale on Debbie Bliss Eco Aran a year or so ago, and I snapped up enough for two projects from the Debbie Bliss Eco Fairtrade Collection book that came out in 2009.  I am starting with colour 616, the powder blue:

This is kind of a challenging yarn to work with.  It has several thin plies loosely wound together, so you have to knit carefully to make sure you catch them all in each stitch.  I also found two flaws just in the first ball, which is a pain because then you have to back it up and find a good place to hide the join.  But, I have concluded that it is worth it, because the knitted fabric feels fantastic.  It is very soft and plush, unlike a lot of cottons which can be stiff.

I'm making the Paisley Sweater from the back of the first Eco Fairtrade Collection book:

I don't have much to show yet, because I've had two false starts.  The first time was a tension problem, and I've reduced the size of my needles.  Even though I was knitting to the gauge, the garment was coming out bigger than the pattern suggested.  I met a woman at a quilting workshop who had made one of these projects, and she mentioned that she found she needed to knit this very tightly.  I don't like to put so much strain on my hands, so I have gone with smaller needles.

The second false start occured when I realized that the project was going to be too long.  The front measures 26" long, but when you realize that it isn't 26" from the top of the shoulder but rather from further down, the whole thing became longer than I wanted.  So I decided to shave off 18 rows, which required me to re-jig the placement of the cabled panels, and I had to start those over.

But now I think I'm headed in the right direction.  It is really great to be knitting again, it feels like visiting an old friend.

A New Way to Secure Thread Without a Knot

(Update 02/13 - Apparently this is called a loop knot.)

This is a technique that Alex Anderson demonstrated in an early episode of The Quilt Show.  I can never find the exact episode, but if someone knows please put the details in the comments.  Alex used the technique for redwork, but I have found that it adapts very well to cross stitch.

This technique works whenever you are stitching with two strands of floss in the needle.  I am stitching Celtic Spring 2 over 2, so it has been perfect for that.

Start by cutting the thread twice your normal length.  If you usually stitch with an 18" length, cut your floss to 36".  Pull off one strand, fold it in half so it is double, and thread the cut ends through the needle:

I have used a shorter thread for the demo.  Leave the loop at the end of the thread.

Start your first stitch by coming up from the back.  Don't pull the thread all the way through!  Make the first diagonal stitch of the cross and go through to the back without pulling the thread all the way through.  On the back the folded thread will form a loop:

Run the needle through the loop (you are still on the back of the work), and pull tight:

The loop will snug down flat against the working thread, and secure the whole thing with no knots and no loose ends.

Like everything, this method has pros and cons.

Pros

• Reduces the number of loose ends on the back of the work
• Quicker and easier than a waste knot when you are stitching in a new area
• Slippery threads like gold braid won't work loose later

Cons

• Only works for an even number of threads
• Doesn't work when different threads are blended in the needle
• The two lengths in the needle are running in opposite directions.  If your thread has a nap this may reduce the sheen of the finished piece.  It may even increase snarling in dense stitching or fabric.

For Celtic Spring this method has been fantastic.  In the borders especially you are frequently starting  new colours in isolation, and the waste knots are tedious.  Plus I have been finding that the gold braid tends to work itself loose, which is eliminated with this method.

I also like it in places where there are many colours in a small area, because it reduces the bulk on the back. I start with a shorter length when there are fewer stitches to make.

And it's great for redwork too!  Although for redwork you start with the loop on the top of the stitching, and it works better for stem or outline stitch rather than back stitch.  But it makes a very clean back!  I think I owe a post on that some day...